Hardware and Kids Running Amok
by NotAContrivance
Summary: Luke and Lorelai meet when Rory gets lost. A different story of how they first met. AU.


This is kind of weird. But it's one of those Luke-and-Lorelai's-first- meeting-stories. Luke's dad's still alive and his sister's gone. Rory is one and they haven't been into town since Rory was born. Man! I should've put Kirk in here! Darn... lol... Well, it would've been funny. Anyways, I don't own Gilmore Girls. Amy Sherman-Palladino does. And you'd be bonkers to think I do.  
  
Hardware and Children Running Amok  
  
Lorelai Gilmore looked around the town square. This was the first time she had been here in a year. And the first time she stops by in a year, she loses her daughter. Lorelai sighed. She looked for a familiar face, and her eyes lit on Miss Patty.  
  
She walked up to the older woman.  
  
"Hey, Miss Patty. Have you seen my daughter running around here somewhere?" Lorelai asked nervously.  
  
Miss Patty thought for a moment.  
  
"Yeah. I think she ran into Will's Hardware," Miss Patty responded quietly.  
  
Lorelai raised an eyebrow. She didn't really know the town too well.  
  
"Where's that?" Lorelai asked curiously.  
  
Miss Patty smiled and pointed a finger to the building across the street with a sign that read William's Hardware. Lorelai smiled at her and ran across the street. She opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
She wound up face to face with a guy who looked about her age, maybe a few years older. He was unshaven with a backwards baseball cap atop his head, clad in a white t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He was cute. Very cute. This reminded her of the fact that she hadn't had a date in ages. He scowled.  
  
"Who are you?" The man barked.  
  
Lorelai jumped.  
  
"Uh... Did you see a two-year-old run through here?" Lorelai asked, avoiding his question.  
  
The man laughed.  
  
"I should hope not. There's so much construction going on around here that if there was a two-year-old in here, they could get seriously injured," The man responded.  
  
Lorelai's eyes widened and she pushed past him.  
  
"RORY! RORY!" Lorelai screamed.  
  
The man looked at her oddly and Lorelai looked around frantically. Suddenly, an older man walked down the stairs. But all Lorelai saw was that he was carrying her daughter. She rushed up to him and he handed her her daughter. Lorelai beamed up at him, enveloping him in a huge hug, though she hadn't a clue who he was.  
  
"Thank you so much!" Lorelai said happily, smile going from ear-to-ear.  
  
The man was tall with dark hair like hers, except his was graying. He had blue eyes and was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans. He looked related to the other man, though he was noticeably older and paler. The other guy walked up to him.  
  
"Dad! What are you doing down here? You're supposed to be resting!" The young guy said, worrying.  
  
The older man smiled.  
  
"Luke, chill out. You and I both know that I don't want to rest, and even if you got Taylor up here to bother me about it endlessly, then I still wouldn't do it. And besides, this nice little girl came upstairs and I figured someone was looking for her," The man smiled.  
  
Luke frowned at his father. Lorelai looked between them.  
  
"So, can I do anything for you?" Lorelai asked cheerfully.  
  
The man, who she assumed was the William mentioned on the outside, smiled again.  
  
"Yeah. Go out on a date with my son. He doesn't get out much," William joked, patting Luke on the back.  
  
Luke frowned.  
  
"Don't pay attention to him," Luke groaned.  
  
Lorelai smiled. William turned to Luke.  
  
"It's been a long time since Rachel left. You need to move on," William advised.  
  
Luke scowled.  
  
"I am moving on, Dad," Luke spat venomously.  
  
Lorelai backed off a little.  
  
"So...You know any good places to get coffee?" Lorelai said awkwardly, changing the subject.  
  
Luke turned away from his dad and he calmed down.  
  
"I'll make you a cup," Luke grunted, walking behind a sawdust-covered counter.  
  
Lorelai's eyes lit up, as did her daughter's.  
  
"Coffee! Yay!" Rory chirped.  
  
Luke scowled.  
  
"I am not serving your little sister coffee and I should hope that you wouldn't either," Luke glared.  
  
Lorelai smirked.  
  
"Well, Luke, she's not my sister. She's my daughter. If she wants coffee, she's going to get coffee, you hear me?" Lorelai said bossily.  
  
Luke's eyes widened and he mindlessly poured the two cups of coffee.  
  
"How old are you?" Luke asked curiously.  
  
Lorelai smiled shyly into her coffee, she was used to reactions like these. She handed her daughter the other cup of coffee.  
  
"Eighteen. I'm Lorelai Gilmore by the way and this is my daughter Rory. How old are you?" Lorelai answered.  
  
Luke stuck out a hand and she shook it.  
  
"Luke Danes and you've met my dad, William. I'm twenty-one," Luke replied.  
  
Lorelai smiled. The two looked at each other awkwardly. William looked between them, grinning. Just because he was old (er), didn't mean he was blind. He was just 39, far too young to have a son who was 21, and far too young to be dying. However, he was dying, and his son was 18 years younger than himself.  
  
William looked at the two before him. Maybe his son would marry this girl. Maybe he wouldn't. However, he could see one thing. That was that Luke was drawn to Lorelai like a sailor to a mermaid. And, of course, he could see why.  
  
Lorelai smiled at the both of them. She drank the last of her coffee.  
  
"I have to get back to work. It was nice meeting you. Bye William! Bye Luke!" Lorelai said, about to leave.  
  
William and Luke smiled at her. Lorelai set the cup down on the sawdust- covered counter.  
  
"See you around," Luke grunted.  
  
William smiled.  
  
"Nice having someone other than Luke here to talk to. Stop by anytime," William invited.  
  
Lorelai turned to Luke.  
  
"We live at The Independence. I'm sure you know where it is, Luke. Stop by sometime," Lorelai replied semi-flirtatiously.  
  
Luke blushed and scratched the back of his neck nervously. William looked on, amused.  
  
"Um, yeah. I'll do that," Luke stuttered.  
  
Lorelai waved and picked up her daughter, going out the door.  
  
Luke looked after her and as soon as she was out of sight, turned to face his father. Luke knew what the smug look on his father's face meant and he shook his head.  
  
"You really have moved on, Luke. Hold unto that one, she's one of a kind," William advised.  
  
Luke glared at his father, who walked up the stairs to his exile. However, his father turned around.  
  
"Ask her out, son, soon. Or, and I can guarantee you, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You don't want to end up settling," William replied wisely.  
  
Luke's eyes widened and he looked up.  
  
"Did you settle? For Mom?" Luke asked nervously.  
  
William smiled and shook his head.  
  
"Nope. Came awfully close to settling for someone though," William remarked quietly, going all the way upstairs.  
  
Luke resumed hammering and sawing. The door opened again and he looked up, hoping it was Lorelai. It wasn't, though. It was Taylor Doose, the town magistrate. Luke scowled. Maybe today was just another ordinary day.  
  
"Young Man! Have you met that Gilmore girl? And do you have a permit to construct this?"  
  
Luke sighed. But then again, maybe it wasn't an ordinary day. Little did Luke know that when Lorelai walked into his life, all normal days would be completely eliminated.  
  
- Loren ;*  
  
I'd really like a review, you know. 


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